Awesome Visual Studio Macros

Question

For a small community discussion, what are some essential Visual Studio macros you use?

I just started learning about them, and want to hear what some of you can't live without.

Answer 1

I add buttons on the toolbar for the following 3 macros. Each will take the currently selected text in any file and google it (or MSDN-it, or spell-check-it). Make up a nifty icon for the toolbar for extra style-points.

Private Const BROWSER_PATH As String = "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"

Sub SearchGoogle()
    Dim cmd As String
    cmd = String.Format("{0} http://www.google.com/search?hl-en&q={1}", BROWSER_PATH, DTE.ActiveDocument.Selection.Text)
    Shell(cmd, AppWinStyle.NormalFocus)
End Sub

Sub SearchMSDN()
    Dim cmd As String
    cmd = String.Format("{0} http://www.google.com/search?hl-en&q={1}+site%3Amsdn.microsoft.com", BROWSER_PATH, DTE.ActiveDocument.Selection.Text)
    Shell(cmd, AppWinStyle.NormalFocus)
End Sub

Sub SpellCheck()
    Dim cmd As String
    cmd = String.Format("{0} http://www.spellcheck.net/cgi-bin/spell.exe?action=CHECKWORD&string={1}", BROWSER_PATH, DTE.ActiveDocument.Selection.Text)
    Shell(cmd, AppWinStyle.NormalFocus)
End Sub

Answer 2

Show build duration in the Output window

Put this code in your EnvironmentEvents module. This will write the duration directly to the build window for any action on a solution (build, rebuild, clean, deploy).

You can change the IsBuild function to specify the actions you want to see this information for.

Dim buildStart As Date

Private Function IsBuild(ByVal scope As EnvDTE.vsBuildScope, ByVal action As EnvDTE.vsBuildAction) As Boolean
    Return scope = vsBuildScope.vsBuildScopeSolution
End Function

Private Sub BuildEvents_OnBuildBegin(ByVal Scope As EnvDTE.vsBuildScope, ByVal Action As EnvDTE.vsBuildAction) Handles BuildEvents.OnBuildBegin
    If (IsBuild(Scope, Action)) Then
        buildStart = Date.Now
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub BuildEvents_OnBuildDone(ByVal Scope As EnvDTE.vsBuildScope, ByVal Action As EnvDTE.vsBuildAction) Handles BuildEvents.OnBuildDone
    If (IsBuild(Scope, Action)) Then
        Dim buildTime = Date.Now - buildStart
        WriteToBuildWindow(String.Format("Build time: {0}", buildTime.ToString))
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub WriteToBuildWindow(ByVal message As String)
    Dim win As Window = DTE.Windows.Item(EnvDTE.Constants.vsWindowKindOutput)
    Dim ow As OutputWindow = CType(win.Object, OutputWindow)
    For Each owPane As OutputWindowPane In ow.OutputWindowPanes
        If (owPane.Name.Equals("Build")) Then
            owPane.OutputString(message)
            Exit For
        End If
    Next
End Sub

Answer 3

Show the start page after you close a solution (but keep Visual Studio open)

Put this code in your EnvironmentEvents module:

Private Sub SolutionEvents_AfterClosing() Handles SolutionEvents.AfterClosing
    DTE.ExecuteCommand("View.StartPage")
End Sub

Hide the start page after you open a solution

Put this code in your EnvironmentEvents module:

Private Sub SolutionEvents_Opened() Handles SolutionEvents.Opened
    Dim startPageGuid As String = "{387CB18D-6153-4156-9257-9AC3F9207BBE}"
    Dim startPage As EnvDTE.Window = DTE.Windows.Item(startPageGuid)
    If startPage IsNot Nothing Then startPage.Close()
End Sub

These two together will cause your Start Page to hide itself when you open a solution. When you close the solution, the Start Page comes back.

Answer 4

I use the following lesser-known shortcuts very often:

• Ctrl+Enter: Insert a blank line above the current line (and place the cursor there)
• Ctrl+Shift+Enter: Insert a blank line below the current line (and place the cursor there)
• Ctrl+Shift+V: Cycles the clipboard ring

Answer 5

Outlining: Collapse to definitions but expand regions

Are you working in one of those shops that insists on regions around everything, so that when you collapse to definitions, you can't see any code?

What you really need is a collapse-to-definitions-but-expand-regions macro, like this one:

Sub CollapseToDefinitionsButExpandAllRegions()
    DTE.ExecuteCommand("Edit.CollapsetoDefinitions")
    DTE.SuppressUI = True
    Dim objSelection As TextSelection = DTE.ActiveDocument.Selection
    objSelection.StartOfDocument()
    Do While objSelection.FindText("#region", 
        vsFindOptions.vsFindOptionsMatchInHiddenText)
    Loop
    objSelection.StartOfDocument()
    DTE.SuppressUI = False
End Sub

Put this in a regular macro module, assign it to a hot key, and your code is back.

(Except...if you work with some really nefarious individuals who put regions inside methods, this will unfortunately expand those methods. If anybody knows a way to write this to avoid that, feel free to edit.)

Answer 6

Insert GUID, great for WiX work, add to menu as button or as key shortcut.

Sub InsertGuid()
    Dim objTextSelection As TextSelection
    objTextSelection = CType(DTE.ActiveDocument.Selection(), EnvDTE.TextSelection)
    objTextSelection.Text = System.Guid.NewGuid.ToString.ToUpper(New System.Globalization.CultureInfo("en", False))
End Sub

Organise usings for all .cs files in a solution - Original Author: djpark.

Sub OrganizeSolution()
    Dim sol As Solution = DTE.Solution
    For i As Integer = 1 To sol.Projects.Count
        OrganizeProject(sol.Projects.Item(i))
    Next
End Sub

Private Sub OrganizeProject(ByVal proj As Project)
    For i As Integer = 1 To proj.ProjectItems.Count
        OrganizeProjectItem(proj.ProjectItems.Item(i))
    Next
End Sub

Private Sub OrganizeProjectItem(ByVal projectItem As ProjectItem)
    Dim fileIsOpen As Boolean = False
    If projectItem.Kind = Constants.vsProjectItemKindPhysicalFile Then
        'If this is a c# file             
        If projectItem.Name.LastIndexOf(".cs") = projectItem.Name.Length - 3 Then
            'Set flag to true if file is already open                 
            fileIsOpen = projectItem.IsOpen
            Dim window As Window = projectItem.Open(Constants.vsViewKindCode)
            window.Activate()
            projectItem.Document.DTE.ExecuteCommand("Edit.RemoveAndSort")
            'Only close the file if it was not already open                 
            If Not fileIsOpen Then
                window.Close(vsSaveChanges.vsSaveChangesYes)
            End If
        End If
    End If
    'Be sure to apply RemoveAndSort on all of the ProjectItems.         
    If Not projectItem.ProjectItems Is Nothing Then
        For i As Integer = 1 To projectItem.ProjectItems.Count
            OrganizeProjectItem(projectItem.ProjectItems.Item(i))
        Next
    End If
    'Apply RemoveAndSort on a SubProject if it exists.         
    If Not projectItem.SubProject Is Nothing Then
        OrganizeProject(projectItem.SubProject)
    End If
End Sub

Answer 7

Collapse all nodes of the Solution panel, very useful especially for big projects:

    Public Module CollapseAllNodes
    Sub RunCollapseAllNodes()
        Dim UIHSolutionExplorer As UIHierarchy
        UIHSolutionExplorer = DTE.Windows.Item(Constants.vsext_wk_SProjectWindow).Object()

        ' Check if there is any open solution 
        If (UIHSolutionExplorer.UIHierarchyItems.Count = 0) Then
            Return
        End If

        ' Get the top node (the name of the solution) 
        Dim UIHSolutionRootNode As UIHierarchyItem
        UIHSolutionRootNode = UIHSolutionExplorer.UIHierarchyItems.Item(1)

        CloseRecursif(UIHSolutionRootNode)

        ' Select the solution node, or else when you click 
        ' on the solution windows scrollbar, it will synchronize the open document 
        ' with the tree and pop out the corresponding node which is probably not 
        ' what you want. 
        UIHSolutionRootNode.Select(vsUISelectionType.vsUISelectionTypeSelect)
    End Sub

    Function CloseRecursif(ByRef element)
        For Each UIHChild In element.UIHierarchyItems()
            CloseRecursif(UIHChild)

            If (UIHChild.UIHierarchyItems.Expanded = True) Then
                UIHChild.UIHierarchyItems.Expanded = False
            End If

        Next
    End Function
End Module

Answer 8

I use Jeff's FormatToHtml macros if I'm going to be pasting a code example into a blog post or an email.

Answer 9

I work with dual monitors, and I find Sharon's layout-switching macro (from a 1 monitor to a 2 monitor layout) totally invaluable. When you need to be referencing a web page or other program while typing a bit of code, Ctrl-Alt-1 to switch to a one monitor layout for your Visual Studio windows. Once you're done, Ctrl-Alt-2 to switch to your two monitor layout and get all your windows back. Awesome!

http://www.invisible-city.com/sharon/2008/06/workstation-hack-visual-studio-on-2.html

Answer 10

Not a macro on its own, but useful:

Public Sub WriteToOutputWindow(ByVal pane as String, ByVal Msg As String)
    Dim owPane As OutputWindowPane

    Dim win As Window = DTE.Windows.Item(EnvDTE.Constants.vsWindowKindOutput)
    Dim ow As OutputWindow = win.Object
    Try
        owPane = ow.OutputWindowPanes.Item(pane)
    Catch
        owPane = ow.OutputWindowPanes.Add(pane)
    End Try
    If Not owPane Is Nothing Then
        owPane.Activate()
        owPane.OutputString(Msg & vbCrLf)
    End If
End Sub

Answer 11

I'm currently working on two different projects with different coding standards, one that uses tabs for line beginnings and another that uses spaces. This macro will toggle between which standard is used based on which environment is currently active:

Public Sub ToggleTabs()
  If DTE.ActiveDocument.Language = "CSharp" Then
      Dim currentSetting As Boolean = DTE.Properties("TextEditor", "CSharp").Item("InsertTabs").Value
      DTE.Properties("TextEditor", "CSharp").Item("InsertTabs").Value = Not currentSetting
  End If

  If DTE.ActiveDocument.Language = "SQL" Then
      Dim currentSQLSetting As Boolean = DTE.Properties("TextEditor", "SQL").Item("InsertTabs").Value
      DTE.Properties("TextEditor", "SQL").Item("InsertTabs").Value = Not currentSQLSetting
  End If

  If DTE.ActiveDocument.Language = "HTML" Then
      Dim currentHTMLSetting As Boolean = DTE.Properties("TextEditor", "HTML").Item("InsertTabs").Value
      DTE.Properties("TextEditor", "HTML").Item("InsertTabs").Value = Not currentHTMLSetting
  End If

  If DTE.ActiveDocument.Language = "JScript" Then
      Dim currentJScriptSetting As Boolean = DTE.Properties("TextEditor", "JScript").Item("InsertTabs").Value
      DTE.Properties("TextEditor", "JScript").Item("InsertTabs").Value = Not currentJScriptSetting
  End If

End Sub

Answer 12

I mapped ctrl-shift-G to a macro that generates a GUID in registry format - this is useful for editing IDL

Answer 13

I used to employ a lot of macros in VS 2002/2003. One example would be Region creation - I always like my classes to be divided into the following regions - "Private members", "Public Properties", "Public Methods" and "Private methods". So, I have a macro mapped to a shortcut key that creates these regions in any new class file.

Refactoring support in VS 2005/2008 (and the facility of adding common code snippets) as well as the use of Addins like DXCore and SlickEdit allow me to work without having to create too many macros anymore.

Answer 14

I couldn't let this question go without mentioning this one. It even has a video to show how to install and use it. This macro simply allows you to create the nested files in the solution explorer (like resources.resx).

Edit: Updated the link